Anyone read Seth Godin’s blog or books?
I like him.
One of the concepts he seems to emphasize, or at least what I think he has emphasized, is this; make your business so qualitatively different, that it’s worth talking about and hard to forget.
To lift an idea from his book, imagine driving home and spotting a purple cow meandering along the side of the road (Purple Cow – the title to one of his books). The experience you had was so different! You’ve just got to tell folks when you arrive home, and again the next day at work. 
Here is a quote from his blog:
“Google maps is just plain better than MapQuest or Yahoo Maps.
So much better it’s remarkable. So much better that it doesn’t make sense to use anything else.”
“This is worth remembering. Your first choice is always to be so much better that all the marketing hype is secondary.”
Seth also writes about constantly pushing yourself to try out new things.
LET’S APPLY THIS THINKING TO LANGUAGE SCHOOLS
Don’t have a blog yet for your school? Try it.
Never tried dressing up as a purple cow and passing out fliers in front of your school? Try it.
Are you experimenting with new ideas in your school?
Are you testing changes to your business to create something so far from what everyone else is doing that you stand head-and-shoulders above your competition?
If you boast, “We have all native speakers and 90 minute classes instead of 45 minute classes!” I suppose Seth would probably respond that that is not enough, anyone can do that.
What combination of changes could you try out, that might turn your school into something greater, something truly worth talking about?
HERE IS WHAT I DID…I URGE YOU TO DO BETTER!
1. We explained our curriculum in a detailed handbook. I’ve talked to other school owners. You’d be surprised at how many owners just write, “Modern Curriculum” yet fail to explain exactly what they mean. Does this impress visitors? I doubt it. I decided to do it differently. I typed up exactly what we had going on, and put it together in a clear file. I finished it off with our color logo on top.
When parents and their child visited my school, considering whether or not to join, I handed them the handbook to read while their child was sitting in on a sample class. RESULT: It sure saved time after the lesson was finished. Fewer questions.. I could move right into the “close”…Within the hour, I usually had a new student. I credit the smooth transition from visitor to new client, to my effort in put together that handbook.
2. Emphasized my qualifications in teaching (I admit that this was a double edged sword – if I left, and hired someone without my background, I could be in trouble!). Heck, if you have the paper, flaunt it.
3. Spent thousands of dollars to make my classroom something a father or mother would be proud to talk about with friends (word-of-mouth). From imported rugs, to wall map murals, we maximized our first impression brownie points. RESULT: Sign up rate in the 90% range.
4. Offered my students and their parents online scheduling – something no one else had in my neighborhood.
And a few other things.
What ideas do *you* have that might make your school the next Google Maps – something, as Seth put it, “so much better, it’s remarkable.”
RECOMMENDED SETH GODIN BOOK: (an 8-year compilation of his blog posts in one book) Small is the New Big: And 183 Other Riffs, Rants and Remarkable Business Ideas
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